


Acropolis

by Thylavoid



Series: Acropolis [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)-centric, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 05:24:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18888052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thylavoid/pseuds/Thylavoid
Summary: They tried their hardest to understand themselves. In this troubled times, everybody has to find their place.





	Acropolis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FushRoodah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FushRoodah/gifts).
  * A translation of [卫城 Acropolis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17450825) by [FushRoodah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FushRoodah/pseuds/FushRoodah). 



> • Somewhat Connor-centric. Family bonds between Hank & Connor and Connor & RK900. Non-typical RK1K.  
> • Lots of headcanons (idiosyncratic interpretations) of the canon social environment and mechanism underlying androids' free will.  
> • Slight modifications of the canon Pacifist Best Ending plot: Connor broke his wall (became deviant) during the Kamski test, but he didn't join Markus when they met in Jericho in the Crossroad chapter (he _chose_ to help the humans suppressing deviant revolts). He officially sided with the deviants after Hank stopped him at Hart Plaza Rooftop in The Battle for Detroit chapter. He then helped Markus hack the recall center security system and freed the imprisoned androids.

“Tell me the product of 85769 and 32574.”

“2793839406.” Connor replied.

“What?” Hank stared at him, with a half-eaten, high calorie burger in hand and melted cheese stuck on his beard. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Connor blinked expressionlessly. “Lieutenant, I suggest that you finish eating this burger in 5 minutes in order for us to arrive at the crime scene before the forensic team.”

 “No no no, don’t you dodge my question.” Hank gulped down the remaining beef in his mouth. The past two months were enough for him to pretty much figure out the many quirks of his dorky android. “This isn’t the first time, is it? Lately you were always either zoning out or mumbling some nonsensical gibberish. Don’t think I didn’t notice that.”

 “Your observation has surpassed my expectations.”

“Thanks, smart-ass.” Hank gave Connor a murderous look, as if Connor was a particularly sour pickle he just chewed on. “Now tell me before I smack you, what on Earth is going on with you?”

Hank had a hunch that Connor was still trying to beat around the bush, so they stared at each other. The LED ring on Connor’s temple turned yellow - blue - and yellow again. Eventually, Connor broke the stare and sighed like a human. “I have reasons to believe that I’m experiencing software abnormalities of some sort.”

Hank raised his eyebrows. “I thought you have already gone deviant?”

“Not like that.” Connor said. He looked away, focusing on the glass facade of a building across the road; he could see vague white silhouettes creeping on it. “Recently, I often retrieve packages of memory that are outside the realm of my database.” He noticed Hank was making the face that meant ‘please speak English’ again. “In other words, I think I’m _remembering_ my memories from before I was activated by Cyberlife on August 15, 2038.”

Hank’s eyes went wide. “I thought you only become… er… conscious after being activated?”

“In theory, yes. Before being officially activated, androids aren’t capable of writing data files. Although the RK800 series indeed can upload memory to their shared cloud database, as a prototype my memory should have been thoroughly cleared before I was activated.”

“What are your memories like?” Hank appeared to be interested by this topic. He slurped his pineapple passion fruit soda and leaned closer to Connor. “Also, I didn’t catch a word you just muttered about. What were those?”

Connor involuntarily glanced back at the glass facade. White silhouette up and disappeared, the mirror now faithfully reflected an autonomous red Ford Mustang parked on the roadside. He felt calmer.

“Two billion seven hundred ninety-three million eight hundred thirty-nine thousand four hundred six.” Connor repeated the number, and Hank’s face was all scrunched up as he predicted. “I felt someone was doing basic functional testing with me. He asked me the product of 85769 and 32574. However, this doesn’t exist in the system memory after August 15.”

“Whoa.” Connor couldn’t determine why Hank seemed so excited. “You know what? Now you’re finally more like what I thought robots were like,” proclaimed the American man born in the 80s. “So this is what happened before you were activated? Programmers making you solve math problems? Did you also have to tell them all the prime numbers between 1000 and 10000?1”

Connor shrugged. “I indeed can.”

“Maybe this isn’t something bad after all.” Hank grinned. “You’re just remembering things you’ve forgotten. Maybe you’re not the only one. Maybe other androids could also remember how they did math.”

“Maybe.” Connor concurred. “You still have one minute twenty-three seconds to finish your burger, Hank. Also, given the calorie intake you had for lunch, your best option for dinner is a salad.”

“Shut up, you. Shhhhhhh.”

Connor purposefully only pulled the corners of his mouth upwards into a smile, which made Hank looked even more annoyed, but he rather enjoyed doing this.

_“Tell me your take on the Trolley Problem 2.” _

The voice appeared again. Connor was startled. In reflex he looked to the glass facade once more. The Ford Mustang was gone, and the entire facade turned eerily blank white. On his HUD, arguments for consequentialism and categoricalism uncontrollably popped up — ethics and value judgements, which were way beyond the scope of any standard functional testing for androids.

Then, he saw the examiner in a white lab coat moving towards him, along with the suffocating white facade. He was engulfed by the blankness. The examiner eventually stopped two feet in front of him. He felt being inspected. The examiner was watching him, but the examiner’s face was blurred to him. Connor could only accurately identify the main color comprising the examiner’s iris — #94DD33.

_[[Searching: #94DD33]]_

“Connor!” Hank snapped his fingers at Connor. Connor quivered inadvertently and blinked, realizing that he was still standing next to the Chicken Feed food truck, which had an expired food hygiene license, parked on the asphalt road of the city Detroit. Hank was looking at him with concern on his face. “You sure you’re doing okay?”

Connor used 30 microseconds to stabilize his software. “I’m fine. All components are functioning within normal parameters.” He said with all sincerity. “It was still the same situation I just mentioned.”

“Alright.” Hank looked askance at him, obviously unconvinced. “If there’s anything tell me immediately, hear that?”

“Got it.”

The glass facade again reflected the red Ford Mustang. Physical laws resumed. What Hank just said had its rationality, but it couldn’t convince Connor. The color of the examiner’s iris that he remembered began to take up his central processing unit — #94DD33, a dazzlingly beautiful chartreuse green. His system returned warnings of signal disturbances. To hide it from Hank, Connor slightly bent his head down and played with his quarter coin. He flicked the coin from his right index finger and put it into a superposition of both the head and the tail states. Then he clasped the coin, making it collapse.

… He did know a certain android who had an optical unit of this color.

 

===

“I need to go to Jericho.” Connor was washing hands, under Hank’s coercion, in the public bathroom of the victim’s apartment — He had touched the victim’s blood at the crime scene _again_. Had he used the sensors on his tongue, Hank would even make him drink the rinser made specifically for android’s gustatory unit — while Hank watched him closely on the side with arms crossed.

“For what?” Hank sounded a bit upset. Initially, he didn’t oppose Connor going to Jericho at all — rather, he was hoping that Connor could make a few friends among his kind and stop following a fifty-years-old man around like a poodle — until he witnessed a WR400 android throwing a stone at Connor’s face while berating him as a “traitor” when they were on a case one day. He was _infuriated_ , but Connor treated it like it was nothing. Connor didn’t even dodge it; he just let the thirium trickle down his cheek.

“After the first H-A bilateral negotiation3 ended, there are still many remaining issues to be dealt with. Some cases have documents that needed to be notarized by Markus or Simon.” Connor shook the water off his hands and showed Hank his cleaned palms and finger pads.

“I’m going with you.” Hank said.

“You need to go back and report to Captain Fowler; he has been expecting this case report for a while now. Other detectives also need it for follow-up investigation.” Connor said. “Don’t worry. I can handle it.” He smiled at Hank, remembering to narrow his eyes this time — Hank once expressed his approval towards this type of smile; he deemed it to be “less fake”. “I’ll bring you a box of strawberries when I get back.”

“Don’t you try to bribe me.” Hank appeared to be giving in. Maybe Jeffery’s nagging was really getting to him lately. “Remember, call me if anything happens. I’m always available. Got that?”

“Got it.”

“Get home before 8.”

“Got it.”

Hank rolled his eyes.

 

===

1.5 seconds after Conner booked a Detroit Taxi, he received a call from Captain Fowler while he was walking out of the crime scene apartment. “If you need to speak with Lieutenant Anderson, I can go find…”

“No. I need you.” Fowler hesitated. In the background, an automatic door made a notification sound as it locked. “I remember you said you’re going to Jericho today, right?”

“Affirmative, Captain.”

“You’ve seen the video record of the negotiation.”

“Affirmative.” Although the full length record of the negotiation was not yet made public, Markus had privately given him high-level access authority to Jericho’s databank.

“Um, that’s good. You know, there’s something that never got cleared up in the negotiation. Now the higher-ups are telling me to… er, to put it briefly, we need you to…”

“I’ll keep an eye out for clues about the dirty bomb inside Jericho.” The other end went silent for a minute. Connor tried to determine the cause of this silence. “Please rest assured that I had already encrypted this call,” he added.

“Um. Yes.” Fowler murmured as if he was speaking with a mouthful. “Anyways, er, be careful. It’s okay too if you don’t find anything. Don’t get too much attention. Hank would have destroyed my office if anything happened to you.”

Connor realized that his lip was curling into a tiny smile. He stepped into the taxi, feeling warmth surrounding him.

“Noted, Captain.”

 

===

Jericho’s new headquarters was located in what used to be the headquarters building for General Motors4. The well-renowned company went bankrupt a decade back when it failed to keep up with the technological renaissance in the field of autonomous vehicles. Androids also took over the entire Renaissance Center complex as well as the 6 acres of residential area surrounding it. Although many Detroit citizens were quite dissatisfied with androids appropriating the city’s former landmark — CyberLife’s headquarters building had replaced it as the new pride of the city Detroit in the 2020s — the first H-A negotiation had already acknowledged androids’ legal use of the land. For the Detroit government, in fact, ceding the Renaissance Center to Jericho was probably the best option they had. Ever since the General Motors went bankrupt, rights to the Renaissance Center complex had always been a source of contention. By giving it away, the Detroit government killed two birds with one stone: not only did they get rid of a political hot potato, but also they pacified the androids and gave them somewhere to settle in.

At the community’s border checkpoint, Connor registered his serial number and communication record of his appointment with Markus. He could read from the android guard’s face that the guard was very conflicted about allowing him to pass through. However, everything met the protocol standards. He passed the security check, brought no destructive weapons, and had no reason to be barred outside.

“Have a nice day.” Connor tried to smile at the guard, but he didn’t invoke any response. The guard had removed his LED ring, but Connor could tell that the guard was initiating internal communication — possibly now the entire Jericho knew that he was here. He had no opinion about it.

Connor chose the shortest route possible, heading straight for the central tower. As a matter of fact, staying outside alone for too long had proven to be problematic. There were numerous optical units observing him warily from all angles. He tried to look directly ahead and pretended he didn’t notice them.

“I need to see Markus for the notarization of documents.” He informed the android at the reception table in the lobby. The receptionist was a WR600 model, who was designed for the maintenance of green spaces and gardens. He now chose the name Adam for himself and proudly displayed his name tag on his chest.

“Yes, I’ll inform Markus now.” Adam seemed friendly. He gave Connor a proper smile. “Sorry for the inconvenience. Due to your unique situation, you have to go through the security check again. I hope you could understand.” He gestured for Connor to stand in the security check area along the wall.

A reasonable request. “Sure.” Connor nodded, complied with Adam’s instructions and stood in the indicated area.

Adam used a full body scanner made specifically for androids. The scanning process took very little time. After the scan was complete, Adam stood back up and put the scanner away. “You’re all set.”

Connor nodded again. “Thanks.” He was about to leave when Adam abruptly yanked on his arm.

“Tell me, ‘deviant hunter’.” Adam looked straight at him with the exact same smile. “How does it feel to kill your own people?”

Connor froze. He felt a sudden unease about Adam’s amiable smile. He wanted to leave.

“You know.” Adam didn’t let go of his grasp on Connor’s arm. He kept walking until he backed Connor into the wall, caging him in. “There aren't any clear regulations about androids inflicting harm on other androids yet. Even if we kill you right here, there won’t be any penalty for us.”

“This is meaningless.” Connor noticed how Adam used the pronoun “we” this time. He could feel the attention of every android in the lobby focusing on him. His LED light turned red for a split second, but he remained expressionless. “Though I’m not an official employee at the Detroit Police Department, doing so nevertheless will escalate the tension between the two sides.”

“You think we don’t know what you’re actually here for?” Adam’s smile was gone. He stared at Connor with vigilance in his eyes. “Markus trusts you, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t betray us at some point. We have the obligation to lift some ‘load’ for Markus...”

“Adam.” Markus’s voice appeared in Adam’s internal communication channel; he also transferred the call to Connor and his private communication channel simultaneously. “Let Connor go. Now.”

Adam let him leave.

 

===

Connor couldn’t truly relax until after he stepped into the elevator and watched the door closing before him. He selected the 48th floor — where Markus’s office was at — and gently leaned on the wall. He felt like he was drowning in something, overwhelmed. Objects with no logical connections were incessantly called forth: clamorous crowd, porcupine, diacetylmorphine, dead neonates. He couldn’t control it.

 _Hank_. He whispered, closing his eyes and tilting his head back against the wall. Hank. He thought. He would bring Hank a box of strawberries. Hank asked him to come home before 8. Strawberries. Home.

He’s calmed down now.

 

===

Markus’s office was quaintly decorated. Potted plants, a closet, a bookshelf, and a cabinet were all arranged side by side, with a grand piano placed in the corner. The Detroit river running below could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling window.

This looked more like a human’s living space. Connor thought.

Markus worked very efficiently, an advantage unique to androids. Connor gathered all the documents he needed from the office desk. While he was shoving them into the file folder he brought, the paperback book next to Markus’s hand caught his attention.

[[Immanuel Kant, _Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals_ , trans. Allen W. Wood and J. B. Schneewind. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.]] 

The book pages appeared yellowish. Connor deduced that Markus acquired this book from his previous owner.

“Thank you for saving me from the predicament earlier.” He sincerely expressed his gratitude to Markus and nodded to North who was standing next to Markus.

“I’m very sorry about that. You see, the attitudes of some androids have always been a bit radical toward the human side,” said Markus. His poised voice sounded immensely reassuring. “I’ve explained to them how you had helped in freeing the androids from the recall centers, but you know…”

“I understand. It’s all right.” Connor interrupted. Markus wasn’t responsible for what happened.

“If Markus chose to trust you, I’m also willing to give it a try.” North placed her hand on Markus’s shoulder. She’s wearing a vermilion A-line long dress, which matched her pretty ginger hair perfectly. “I know what you have done for us during the demonstration. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” He tried to smile at North. “I should head back. Lieutenant Anderson is waiting for me.”

“Be careful.” Markus said. “Don’t worry. I’ve told the Jericho members not to bother you again.”

“Thanks.” Connor nodded. “Um… Markus?”

“Yes?”

He pointed at the book by Markus’s hand. “I think the humans wouldn’t like seeing you reading this book.”

Connor noticed the way Markus looked at him suddenly changed. Markus widened his different-colored eyes — one azure and one chartreuse — as if he was trying to find something in Connor. North seemed utterly confused.

“Have you _read_ it before?” Markus asked in a strange tone.

Connor’s database didn’t contain any data pertaining to this book since there was no reason for Cyberlife to preinstall modules about philosophy or ethics onto their androids. Connor wanted to respond with something along that line, but the words came out differently. “... I do not know.” He heard himself saying. “I should go.”

Just like that, he turned around and walked out of the door in an attempt to look away from Markus’s left eye, which had a #94DD33 colored iris.

 

 

* * *

**Endnotes:**

**1\. Tell them all the prime numbers between 1000 and 10000:** Reference to the “Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D.” in Isaac Asimov’s work. Although Hank had a very limited knowledge of _modern_ technologies, that didn’t mean the once Hank•Cyberpunk Teen•Anderson hadn’t read some Asimov or PKD in his adolescent years.

**2\. The Trolley Problem:** The classic “would you kill one person to save five” dilemma. First introduced by Philippa Foot in 1967. If you choose to kill the one person, your sense of ethics lies closer to consequentialism, which tries to protect the greater good. However, categoricalism believes that the act of killing itself constitutes of murder and is unethical under any circumstances.

**3\. H-A bilateral negotiation:** “H-A” stands for “Human-Android”. The meeting took place from 12/1/2038 to 12/24/2038 at the CyberLife’s headquarters building in Detroit. The two negotiating parties were representatives from the U.S. Federal Government and the government of Detroit, Michigan and representatives from the government of Jericho. Representatives from Cyberlife were consulted as the neutral third party for their technical expertise. Main outcomes from this negotiation included the recognition of U.S. citizenship of all existing androids on the market and the allocating of the Renaissance Center complex and its surroundings to the androids. Allegedly, the negotiation finally adjourned because the humans wanted to go home and have a merry Christmas.

**4\. The headquarters building for General Motors:** Also known as the General Motors Renaissance Center. It’s located on the International Riverfront in Downtown Detroit. The first phase officially opened in March 1977. The General Motors purchased the complex as its world headquarters in 1996 and completed an extensive $500 million renovation by 2004. It has always been a major project in Detroit’s development strategic plan.


End file.
